During the one year period of BJP Government, it may be clearly felt that this Government has betrayed and cheated the workers and worked against them curtailing their trade union rights, wages and social security’s which were earned through sustained struggles and sacrifices by them. Every action of Government is pro capitalists, pro employers. Large scale amendments in labour laws are aimed to benefit industrialists/employers to give them free hand to retrench/lay off workers, declare closure/shutdown of establishment and resort to mass scale contractorization.

The main object of these changes is to do away with whatever minimal protection the workers are having under present labour laws despite their large scale violations in connivance with the state Governments. The present Central Government does not want to implement the consensus recommendations of 43rd, 44th and 45th Indian Labour Conferences of formulation of minimum wages, same wage and benefits as regular workers for the contract workers and granting status of workers with attendant benefits to those employed in various Central Government schemes like Anganwadi, Midday Meal, ASHA, Para Teachers etc. On the contrary the Government drastically curtailed budget allocations to all those centrally sponsored schemes meant for poor people’s welfare.

Beside these labour laws the Central Government is also doing away the workers from social security schemes like, EPF and ESI making them a optional aiming to dismantle the basic social security cover available to organized sector.

The Government has not taken any concrete measures to curb price rise of essential commodities. On universal public distribution system, the Government is trying to scuttle it through Direct Benefit transfer scheme resulting further squeeze on the common people,

After coming in Power this Government declared total Ban on recruitment in all Central Government Services causing large scale unemployment. 100% FDI in Railways, the biggest establishment of Central Government has been declared and further projects will be launched on PPP Model. Bigger and important stations will be given to private parties to develop and take users charges causing more burden on common man.49% FDI has also been declared in Defence and 41 Ordnance Factories will be privatized resulting more contractorization of labour . Disinvestment has already been started in C.P.S.U.S. like Coal India Ltd., NTPC and NHPC etc. Plan to corporatize Ports is also in pipeline.

Whatever promises were made by Modiji during election campaign. On all of those this Government has taken U turn. Not a single promise is being fulfilled. Land acquisition act is also being amended which will be against the interests of Farmers. No reasonable minimum support price for the agriculture products and nothing to compensate the loss of crops caused due to natural calamities.

In Central Services the New Pension Scheme was introduced during the previous NDA Government and now this Government also does not agree to replace it by Defined benefit Pension Scheme causing more miseries to the working people,

The demands of Central Government Employees for grant of DA Merger, Interim Relief and date of effect of 7th CPC recommendations from 01.01.2014 has also been rejected.

In Postal Department, Government is moving ahead to corporatize various services based on the recommendations of Task Force Committee headed by T.S.R Subramanian. The Department of Posts and Government of India has still not taken any decision to include G.D.S. in 7th CPC. The agreement and assurances made by the Postal Board during the course of negotiations on PJCA Strike Charter of Demands are not being implemented.

So keeping all the facts in mind and in pursuance of decision taken by All Central Trade Unions to go on ONE DAY STRIKE on 2nd September-2015 , the National Executive of Confederation and Federal Secretariat of NFPE have also endorsed the decision to resist the onslaughts on working class in the wake of neo-liberal Economic Policies by participating in the strike.

NFPE appeals to all the affiliates and entire rank and file to make maximum efforts for the grand success of ONE DAY 2nd September-2015 Strike and defeat Anti People, Anti Working Class Policies of Government of India.

What are the expectations of the Central Government employees from the 7th Pay Commission?

“It is impossible for the 7th Pay Commission to fulfill all the demands of the Central Government employees. The question is – will it at least address the concerns of majority of them?”

The media is full of unconfirmed reports on the submission of 7th Pay Commission report to Central Government. Recently in an interview with a leading English newspaper, Neelakanth Mishra, India equity strategist of Credit Suisse expressed his strong opinions about the 7th Pay Commission and the implementation of its recommendations.

The big question is – what are the expectations of the Central Government employees from the 7th Pay Commission?

In an exclusive interview to NDTV, Neelkanth Mishra said that there are possibilities of a 40% hike in the salaries of Central Government employees. He believed that the 7th Pay Commission will submit its report to the Government in the month of September and the recommendations will be implemented next year.

The employees are likely to get a hike of 30-40%. This time around, the implementation wouldn’t be like it was previously, during the 6th Pay Commission, due to the amount of arrears (it is worth mentioning that the arrears dues were paid in two installments during the 6th Pay Commission). He said that the economic status of Central Government employees would increase enough to afford a car.

His forecast has to be taken seriously. On August 15, 2008, the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had announced that the 6th Pay Commission will come into effect from September onwards. More than the salary hike, the employees were curious to know about the arrears and how they were going to get it, because the sum was huge.

The employees didn’t make such a huge fuss about the increment they had received. Instead of small hike that was added to the salary, they were more interested in the lump sum arrears. Since it was impossible to clear 30-months’ arrears in a single payment, the government was forced to release it in two installments.

But this time, the government is particular about giving an increment in salary and allowances without keeping any pending arrears. Therefore the employees are curious to know about their salary hikes.

ORDERS ARE STILL AWAITED - TIME GRANTED BY COURT OF LAW IS ALREADY LAPSED

PRE-2006 PENSIONERS

FIXATION OF PENSION

AIPRPA CHQ is making enquiries to ascertain as to why the Government is delaying issue of orders even after the lapse of four months’ time the Government obtained from the Court. I have requested Comrade KKN Kutty the JCM Standing Committee Member to talk to the concerned Ministry in this regard. However, we are hearing information that the Department of Expenditure has finally agreed for issuing orders for all Pre-2006 Pensioners to fix their pension in accordance with the 6th CPC recommendations as ordered first by the Government on 1.9.2008. However, as of today, no orders have been issued by the Government. All our members are advised to be patient and wait for orders. The minute orders are exhibited in the Ministry of Pension & Pensioners Welfare website it will be flashed to all by the CHQ.

Revision of pension of pre-2006 pensioners- DPPW order dated 30th July 2015

"Accordingly, in compliance with the above judicial pronouncements, it has been decided that the pension/family pension of all pre-2006 pensioners/family pensioners may be revised in accordance with this Department’s OM No.38/37/08-P&PW(A) dated 28.1.2013 with effect from 1.1.2006 instead of24.9.2012. Further, this benefit has already been granted to the Applicants in OA No. 655/2010 vide OM of even No. dated 26/08/2014 read with OM dated 19/09/2015 following dismissal of SLP (C) No.23055/2013 by the Hon’ble Supreme Court."

No.38/37/08-P&PW(A)

Government of India

Ministry of Personnel, PG & Pensions

Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare

3rd Floor, Lok Nayak Bhawan

Khan Market, New Delhi

Dated the 30th July, 2015

Office Memorandum

Sub:- Revision of pension of pre-2006 pensioners – reg.

The undersigned is directed to say that as per Para 4.2 of this Department’s OM of even number dated 1.9.2008 relating to revision of pension of pre-2006 pensioners w.e.f. 1.1.2006, the revised pension w.e.f. 1.1.2006, in no case, shall be lower than 50% of the sum of the minimum of pay in the pay band and the grade pay thereon corresponding to the prerevised pay scale from which the pensioner had retired. A clarification was issued vide DoP&PW OM of even number dated 3.10.2008 that the pension calculated at 50% of the minimum of pay in the pay band plus grade pay would be calculated at the minimum of the pay in the pay band (irrespective of the pre-revised scale of pay) plus the grade pay corresponding to the pre-revised pay scale.

2. Several petitions were filed in Central Administrative Tribunal, Principal Bench, New Delhi inter alia claiming that the revised pension of the pre-2006 pensioners should not be less than 50% of the minimum of the pay band + grade pay, corresponding to the pre-revised pay scale from which pensioner had retired, as arrived at with reference to the fitment tables annexed to Ministry of Finance, Department of Expenditure OM No.l/1/2008-IC dated 30th August, 2008. Hon’ble CAT, Principal Bench, New Delhi vide its common order dated 1.11.201lin OA No.655/2010 and three other connected OAs directed to re-fix the pension of all pre-2006 retirees w.e.f. 1.1.2006 based on the Resolution dated 29.8.2008 of the Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare and in the light of the observations of Hon’ble CAT in that order.

3. The above order was challenged by the Government by filing Writ Petition No.1535/2012 in respect of OA No. 655/2010 and WP No.2348-50/12 in respect of the three other connected OAs in the High Court of Delhi. The Hon’ble High Court in Its common Order dated 29.4.2013 noted that the DoP&PW had, in the meanwhile, issued an OM No.38/37/08-P&PW (A) dated 28.1.2013 which provided for stepping up of pension of pre2006 pensioners w.e.f. 24.9.2012 to 50% of the minimum of pay in the pay band and grade pay corresponding to pre-revised pay scale from which the pensioner had retired. Hon’ble High Court observed that the only issue which survived was, with reference to Paragraph 9 of OM dated 28.1.2013 which makes it applicable w.e.f. 24.9.2012 instead of 1.1.2006. Hon’ble High Court of Delhi dismissed the Writ Petition No.1535/20 12 along with three other Writ Petitions vide its order dated 29.4.2013. Special Leave Petitions (No.23055/2013 and No.36148-50/2013) filed against the said order dated 29/412013 of the Hon’ble Delhi High Court have also been dismissed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court.

4. Accordingly, in compliance with the above judicial pronouncements, it has been decided that the pension/family pension of all pre-2006 pensioners/family pensioners may be revised in accordance with this Department’s OM No.38/37/08-P&PW(A) dated 28.1.2013 with effect from 1.1.2006 instead of24.9.2012. Further, this benefit has already been granted to the Applicants in OA No. 655/2010 vide OM of even No. dated 26/08/2014 read with OM dated 19/09/2015 following dismissal of SLP (C) No.23055/2013 by the Hon’ble Supreme Court.

5. In case the consolidated pension/family pension calculated as per para 4.1 of O.M. No.38/37/08-P&PW (A) dated 1.9.2008 is higher than the pension/family pension calculated in the manner indicated in the O.M. dated 28.1.2013, the same (higher consolidated pension/family pension) will continue to be treated as basicpension/family pension.

6. All other conditions-as given in OM No. 38/37/08-P&PW (A) dated 1.9.2008, as amended from time to time shall remain unchanged.

7. Ministry of Agriculture, etc. are requested to bring the contents of these orders to the notice of Controller of Accounts/Pay and Accounts Officers and Attached and subordinate Offices under them on a top priority basis. All pension disbursing offices are also advised to prominently display these orders on their notice boards for the benefit of pensioners.

8. This issues with the approval of Ministry of Finance ID Note No. 1(9)/EV/2011Vol.1I dated 24.7.2015.

Finally, after many twists and turns, it has arrived! In a relief to lakhs of pre-2006 retirees of the armed forces and central government, their pension has been revised with effect from January 1, 2006, rather than from September 24, 2012.

The department of pension and pensioners' welfare (DoPPW) issued the universal orders regarding this revision on Thursday. Anomalies in the fixation of the pension of the pre-2006 central government retirees had come to light after the implementation of the recommendations of the sixth Pay Commission. The issue was whether pension was to be calculated based on the minimum of pay for each rank/grade within the newly introduced bands or on the minimum of the pay-band itself. The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) and Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) then corrected it and ruled that the pension would be calculated on the basis of the minimum of pay for each rank/grade within a particular band, which gives the retirees a higher pension.

The central government then itself removed the anomaly but granted the benefits from September 24, 2012, instead of January 1, 2006, when the anomaly had started. But the Delhi high court ruled that after the removing of anomalies, the arrears have to flow from January 1, 2006. The government moved the Supreme Court, which in July, 2013, dismissed the special leave petition (SLP).

After that a review petition was filed, which was also dismissed in November, 2013.

The government then filed a curative petition. The five-judge bench comprising the-then chief justice of India RM Lodha and justices HL Dattu (now CJI), BS Chauhan, Surinder Singh Nijjar and Fakkir Mohamed Ibrahim Kalifulla dismissed it in April 2014. Still the pension revision was not implemented.

This March 17, while deciding a bunch of petitions on the issue, the apex court gave the central government four months to provide retired soldiers with relief. "The universal orders from the central government will save similarly placed pensioners from the agony of litigation till the highest court of the land," said major Navdeep Singh, a Punjab and Haryana high court lawyer who is also on the five-member committee of experts that the Ministry of Defence has constituted to look into grievances related to the service matters and pensions. The objective is to minimise litigation and legal disputes.

AIPRPA CHQ is making enquiries to ascertain as to why the Government is delaying issue of orders even after the lapse of four months’ time the Government obtained from the Court. I have requested Comrade KKN Kutty the JCM Standing Committee Member to talk to the concerned Ministry in this regard. However, we are hearing information that the Department of Expenditure has finally agreed for issuing orders for all Pre-2006 Pensioners to fix their pension in accordance with the 6th CPC recommendations as ordered first by the Government on 1.9.2008. However, as of today, no orders have been issued by the Government. All our members are advised to be patient and wait for orders. The minute orders are exhibited in the Ministry of Pension & Pensioners Welfare website it will be flashed to all by the CHQ.

EDITORIAL POSTAL CRUSADER: AUGUST-2015

MAKE THE ONE DAY STRIKE ON 2ND SEPTEMBER-2015 A HISTORIC SUCCESS.

*****************

During the one year period of BJP Government, it may be clearly felt that this Government has betrayed and cheated the workers and worked against them curtailing their trade union rights, wages and social security’s which were earned through sustained struggles and sacrifices by them. Every action of Government is pro capitalists, pro employers. Large scale amendments in labour laws are aimed to benefit industrialists/employers to give them free hand to retrench/lay off workers, declare closure/shutdown of establishment and resort to mass scale contractorization.

The main object of these changes is to do away with whatever minimal protection the workers are having under present labour laws despite their large scale violations in connivance with the state Governments. The present Central Government does not want to implement the consensus recommendations of 43rd, 44th and 45thIndian Labour Conferences of formulation of minimum wages, same wage and benefits as regular workers for the contract workers and granting status of workers with attendant benefits to those employed in various Central Government schemes like Anganwadi, Midday Meal, ASHA, Para Teachers etc. On the contrary the Government drastically curtailed budget allocations to all those centrally sponsored schemes meant for poor people’s welfare.

Beside these labour laws the Central Government is also doing away the workers from social security schemes like, EPF and ESI making them a optional aiming to dismantle the basic social security cover available to organized sector.

The Government has not taken any concrete measures to curb price rise of essential commodities. On universal public distribution system, the Government is trying to scuttle it through Direct Benefit transfer scheme resulting further squeeze on the common people,

After coming in Power this Government declared total Ban on recruitment in all Central Government Services causing large scale unemployment. 100% FDI in Railways, the biggest establishment of Central Government has been declared and further projects will be launched on PPP Model. Bigger and important stations will be given to private parties to develop and take users charges causing more burden on common man.49% FDI has also been declared in Defence and 41 Ordnance Factories will be privatized resulting more contractorization of labour . Disinvestment has already been started in C.P.S.U.S. like Coal India Ltd., NTPC and NHPC etc. Plan to corporatize Ports is also in pipeline.

Whatever promises were made by Modiji during election campaign. On all of those this Government has taken U turn. Not a single promise is being fulfilled. Land acquisition act is also being amended which will be against the interests of Farmers. No reasonable minimum support price for the agriculture products and nothing to compensate the loss of crops caused due to natural calamities.

In Central Services the New Pension Scheme was introduced during the previous NDA Government and now this Government also does not agree to replace it by Defined benefit Pension Scheme causing more miseries to the working people,

The demands of Central Government Employees for grant of DA Merger, Interim Relief and date of effect of 7th CPC recommendations from 01.01.2014 has also been rejected.

In Postal Department, Government is moving ahead to corporatize various services based on the recommendations of Task Force Committee headed by T.S.R Subramanian. The Department of Posts and Government of India has still not taken any decision to include G.D.S. in 7th CPC. The agreement and assurances made by the Postal Board during the course of negotiations on PJCA Strike Charter of Demands are not being implemented.

So keeping all the facts in mind and in pursuance of decision taken by All Central Trade Unions to go on ONE DAY STRIKE on 2nd September-2015 , the National Executive of Confederation and Federal Secretariat of NFPE have also endorsed the decision to resist the onslaughts on working class in the wake of neo-liberal Economic Policies by participating in the strike.

NFPE appeals to all the affiliates and entire rank and file to make maximum efforts for the grand success of ONE DAY 2nd September-2015 Strike and defeat Anti People, Anti Working Class Policies of Government of India.

(i) Effect wage revision of the Central Government Employees from 01.01.2014 accepting memorandum of the staff side JCM; ensure 5-year wage revision in future; grant interim relief and merger of 100% of DA; Include Gramin Dak Sevaks within the ambit of 7th CPC. Settle all anomalies of 6th CPC.

6. Stoppage of disinvestment in Central/State PSUs. . Stoppage of contractorisation in permanent perennial work and payment of same wage and benefits for contract workers as regular workers for same and similar work.

(v) No outsourcing, contractorisation, privatization of governmental functions; withdraw the proposed move to close down the printing presses, the publications, form stores and stationery departments and medical stores Depots; regularize the existing daily-rated/casual and contract workers and absorption of trained apprentices.

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Quote of the Day July 29

MUMBAI: With e-commerce platforms increasingly turning to the Indian Posts to deliver their orders to customers, the fast flourishing e-retail business has become a revenue generator for the state-run agency, whose traditional operations are dented by the deep penetration of e-mail and mobile phones.

Realising the potential, the Postal Department has set up a dedicated e-commerce and parcel processing center in the country's commercial hub Mumbai. Spread across 12,000 sq ft, the facility at Parel in the city has bagged good business in a short span, handling around 5,000 orders a day.

The department officials expect at this pace the traffic would soon increase to 10,000 parcels per day. The facility has a capacity to process 30,000 parcels per day.

Quite a few e-commerce companies have already approached the department seeking tie-up with India's oldest and most trusted National postal facility including major players like Amazon, Snapdeal, Flipkart, E-bey, Telebrand India, TVC network, Quick Services and Red Box.

"The commercial agreement started taking place last year and by now we have had commercial tie-up with 46 e-commerce companies in Mumbai region, 7 in Pune and 6 in Goa," said a senior official from the Postal Department.